Related Content

"we need to ensure public safety of those communities around the lake, so that's why those decisions are being made now," he said.

The lake level is at the same level it was at in January 2013, but engineers said the water release, set to begin this week, will be much smaller in comparison to the release back then.

Some two summers ago, polluted lake water devastated parts of the St. Lucie river. Businesses also suffered. Now people, who live and work in the area, are fearful it will happen again.

"If it's going to bring that problem over here in St. Lucie with the fishing and stuff I don't want that," said Kevin Cruz, a fisherman.

The General Manager of Pelican Café, Melissa Muller agreed, "the clarity of the water certainly effects the amount of wildlife that we see and that's not something that we want to see in our lagoon."

Engineers said they have to manage the level of Lake Okeechobee for safety reasons. They were worried about where it sits currently, plus the start of wet season. So they're taking preventative measures now, in order to reduce the likelihood of larger releases later.

"We want to make sure we are in the right position for the start of the wet season, so that we can accept additional water during the wet season," said Lt. Col. Tom Greco.